All Things Considered

Listen Live

Next

All Things Considered / The Why

There's more to every story if you take the time to tell it. The Why gets to the "why" behind an issue that matters in your community, diving deep to give you a fuller view – and an illuminating listening experience.

Mishkan Shalom’s lead rabbi, Shawn Zevit, said Fischman, an ordained cantor, was an integral part of the synagouge community and an activist for causes he believed in — like climate change and voter engagement.

“It is a terrible loss. There is a lot of shock and grief. He was a very beloved member of our community,” Zevit said, adding that just days ago Fischman led various parts of the synagogue’s Rosh Hashana services.

According to Zevit, Fischman will be buried alongside his father in Pittsburgh. The synagogue plans to hold a memorial in his honor in the coming weeks.

Williams, aka John Brown, was tentatively scheduled for an Oct. 22 preliminary hearing.

According to court records, he has served time in connection with a guilty plea to conspiracy charges in a 2011 burglary case and was sentenced to two years of probation in connection with a 2012 shoplifting charge.

Williams was awaiting an Oct. 14 probation-violation hearing at the time of Fischman’s killing.